This breed originated from Germany – the term Schnauzer is German for “muzzle”, which is a term referring to the “barrel of the gun”. So Giant Schnauzer would mean giant barrel of the gun, which is in some way related to its intended purpose in the past. During World War I, this pooch was used as a messenger dog. It had to run across the battlefield, dodging flying bullets and land mines to deliver its message. The job wasn’t meant for the faint of heart; a lesser breed given a task like that would have found a nice hole to hide in and shiver with its tail in between its legs.
They looked for a dog with the courage, physical prowess and intelligence to fill the post. Eventually the search ended when they found the Giant Schnauzer. This breed is a crossbreed – what they did was take a Standard Schnauzer, and let it get busy with a larger breed. The result was it retained its original attributes, but increase in size. It now has a height ranging from 23 to 28 inches, and a weight of 55 to 80 pounds. This is a big change compared to its original height and weight which was 17 to 20 inches and 30 to 45 pounds.
The Giant Schnauzer is large with a solid build. This pooch has a bushy double coat, usually coming in the colors pure black, or salt and pepper. The outer coat is quite coarse, while the inner coat is soft and thick. Its beard is long, and is complimented by its whiskers. There’s not much to talk about when it comes to its tail, which looks like a candle stump. Today this dog still carries out functions similar to the ones it was assigned to at the past. Its great sense of smell is used for bomb detection and other illegal commodities such as drugs.
In some areas, its strength was used for farm work, such tasks include protecting livestock and actually pulling carts. But because of its obedience, intelligence, protective and affectionate nature, the majority of the population have made it a house pet. The Giant Schnauzer serves as an excellent guard dog. It is very protective over its master and territory, and has the build to back-up its bark. Growing suspicious of strangers is a normal thing for it to do, which at some times can be a problem. It may have the tendency to bark at your guests, so to eliminate the behavioral abnormality, training will be needed.
A well-trained Giant makes an outstanding pet. Aside from that, this breed loves keeping human company. It is playful and sweet, always looking for ways to catch your attention. A major need for this breed is exercise. Having it not expend its excess energy will make it restless and can result to some behavioral problems. It will require daily jogs, or long walks, and other strenuous work-outs, all of which it enjoys very much. It may need exercising twice a day if the earlier routine wasn’t good enough for it. The Giant Schnauzer isn’t for those who don’t have the time to give it this.
But if you’re willing to make changes to your schedule, the sacrifice will be well worth it.
By Alex de la Cruz, Picture By Giant Schnauzer Fotos del muro by Ana Felipe
